Gift Wrapping

November 01, 2018

With gift giving season approaching quickly, now is a great time to make some DIY wrapping paper, and even better, to practice your painting skills in the process! I have at long last set aside some time to follow my dreams of painting, and while the jury is still out regarding whether this is something that I'll truly want to devote my time to, I now have some great looking wrapping paper that is so fun to look at! Painting loosely, which is the direction I'd like to take, since that is the style that speaks to me (fortunately) isn't nearly as easy as it looks, and so practicing on large sheets of butcher paper is the perfect way to loosen up with no pressure. And this year our Chanukkah gifts are going to look amazing, yippee!

And speaking of yippee, my old virtual friend Amanda Evanston (who used to run the blog Aunt Peaches) has graciously gifted me her online painting classes to review, and let me tell you, the first class that I'm working on now "The Secret Garden" is truly amazing. I can't promise you overnight success unless you are an artistic genius, but I can promise you at the very least that you'll see painting in a whole new light. If that means delving in deeper, like me, or deciding to support artists, like Amanda, already creating amazing work, either way the results are well worth the investment. And yes, you can do the class with kids, in fact the techniques are perfect for all ages. No, Amanda won't teach you exactly how to copy gorgeous paintings like hers, that you'll have to work for, so I'm running off to do just that!

I took this quote of of Amanda's site and I just love it:

"A painting teacher once told me, "To introduce someone to the artists that lives inside them is a great honor." - This is a privilege I take very seriously, and I spent years developing a teaching method that is inclusive of students of all ages and skill levels. I would love to have you as a student.

So thanks Amanda, I'm really hoping to get to know my own inner artist, and time will tell! Now, lets paint some wrapping paper, ready?

April 02, 2018

Dear readers, now that I have shown you how to make adorable wrapping paper, there really is no excuse not to invest a little bit of time in learning brush lettering, and in this case actually brush lettering using Crayola markers, which is called crayoligraphy, or something like that.

Brush lettering is all the rage, with tutorials everywhere, including Skillshare (ad is in upper right hand corner of my blog) so if calligraphy is an interest, go for something fun and contemporary, and try brush lettering. And maybe must maybe, you'll also come up with a nice use for all the practice pages you'll surely generate once you get started!

December 18, 2017

Here's a super simple DIY gift box using corrugated craft cardboard that you can use to hold little prizes and treats (as I did for Hanukkah) or a gift of any size. Make a bunch of these little boxes to use as party favor boxes for weddings, bat or bar mitzvahs, or birthdays, and add your own special touch. I added strips of colored paper punched on a craft punch, you can add a fun gift tag, ribbon or even little pom poms. This is a great DIY gift wrap idea to have up your sleeve anytime! Let's do it......

December 15, 2017

A house shaped gift box is so simple to make using a recycled packing box, and looks great for so many occassions! Who wouldn't wan't to make a gift box that is also a really great looking decoration, and if you like forget about the gift and just use the box to make this fun house shaped box with quilled medallion. I made this as part of a quilled Hanukkah craft series, but I could easily see it working for a baby shower, a bat mitzvah, wedding decor or how about a house warming gift?

I happen to love house shaped everything, so I can't wait to make some more of these in the future, plus it so soooooo simple!

March 16, 2017

With Purim still fresh in my memory, one of the things that always stresses me out on the very festive and busy holiday is making gift tags at the last minute, as well as wrapping up gifts in celophane, yuck. This year I de-stressed myself by personally delivering homebaked and prepared foods on a sweet cake stand I'd made......no need for wrapping or a gfit card, and it was so much fun! That said, i could have used a few ready to use gift tags, and so I am now committing to spending this year using all my little scraps of paper for making fun gift tags, which I'm am going to keep in this jar! So do expect to see that jar fill up as the year progresses, and it is going to be so much fun, as of course I plan to make a nice assortment.

And best of all, no matter what time of year, I'll always have a way to add a little note or label to something that gets sent out the door to friends and neighbors! Oh and of course, these little tags are so simple to make, keep reading for the how-to......

November 13, 2016

Crocheted gift pouches are the perfect little something to whip up during the holiday season, so I've pulled some of my projects from the archives to give you some inspiration. I have been known to crochet little projects like this in the car to give upon arrival, so you certainly can too, especially if you have a few good hours!

Gather up some odds and ends from your stash and some hooks in a few sizes too, and with my patterns to boot, you're all set. And even if you don't complete the little pouches on the way, little ones especially would delight in seeing you whip something up just for them once you get there! Crocheting and spending time with friends and family are a great combo as you can crochet and catch up at the same time, right?

March 22, 2016

Okay my friends, when it comes to creating a knock your socks off kind of gift box, this one really is a piece of cake! Pinata style party decorations using crepe paper are all the rage, and so this idea, namely an upcycled box covered pinata style in crepe paper strips to resemble a piece of cake, is right on target. And best of all, if your box is on the small side like mine, it really doesn't take a huge chunk of time, phew! So next time a nice little box comes your way, save and turn it into the funnest gift box or party favor box ever! I actually made this one to go with my daughter's piece of cake costume for Purim, and this box held treats to give as part of a mishloach manot exchange in her classroom. (On Purim we give gifts of food to friends and neighbors, and the kids get into it too.......)

February 03, 2016

As I mentioned in my last post, origami hearts wall hanging, we have been enjoying exploring some simple and fairly simple origami techniques on the cold winter evenings of late, and last week we learned how to make these sweet origami stacking drawers. These origami drawers can be used as little gift boxes, or storage boxes for small precious items. It is true that this project does require precision, and you can see that even those made by me here are not perfect (mainly because I used card stock and not origami paper) so I'd recommend this for kids ages 10 and above. And truthfully regardless of the outcome, just developing the spacial skills needed to understand how to fold the origami step by step is a very worthy exercise. As an added benefit I actually discovered which of my children have greater 3D thinking skills by doing origami with them, which I found to be quite interesting, and helpful as far as which activities to encourage for their development. So you see, crafting with your kids has so many many benefits!

January 12, 2016

At long last I have begun to realize my dream of creating fun printables for my Etsy shop, whose name has changed and is now called Creative Kinder, (For the Young And Young At Heart) a more appropriate name than the previous one I do think! After hours and hours of work, I now present to you printable fruit themed favor or cupcake boxes just in time for Tu B'Shevat crafting! Honestly these boxes look so great I'm enjoying looking at them stacked up casually, and I don't think I could part with any at the moment! But maybe by the time Tu B'Shevat rolls around in a few weeks, I'll be ready to fill them with dried fruits and nuts to give as little gifts to friends and neighbors to celebrate the Jewish New Year for the fruit bearing trees!

What can I tell you about these little boxes? Well, you do need to be handy with a craft knife to cut them out once printed on heavy paper, but the assembly is simple and once they become little boxes they are simply irresistable! And of course you don't have to use them as boxes at all, seal up all the sides and display them as fruity cubes, hanging mobile style or stacked like blocks. And if you're not into assembling the boxes, so use the square panels to make a glorious paneled wall hanging by stringing a whole bunch together like a coat of armor, if you know what I mean?

December 22, 2015

Patchwork gift pouches sewn from scraps are the perfect little handmade touch, and turn even the simplest little gift into something special. And when they're made from fleece, they're cozy too, which might not seem important for a gift pouch, but the results are really so much fun and perfect for winter-Patchwork gift pouches sewn from scraps are the perfect little handmade touch, and turn even the simplest little gift into something special. And when they're made from fleece, they're cozy too, which might not seem important for a gift pouch, but the results are really so much fun and perfect for winter-time gift giving.

I actually made these striped patchwork fleece gift pouches for my kids for Hanukkah instead of my usual crocheted gift pouches, and the kids loved them, and never guessed that I whipped up three of them in an hour or so. And if you aren't quite as short on time as I was, you can also invest the extra time and make a hidden drawstring, though I actually love the basic craft chord closure that I used here.